Mixed fortunes befall School’s talented duo

Kettering School of Boxing duo Charles Lee and Joe Payne had mixed fortunes at the Midland ABA Junior semis held in Stoke-on-Trent.

Lee marched into the next week’s finals with another hard-working performance over the elusive Assad Junaid from Dudley with a points victory.

His non-stop attacks to the body coupled with his strength paved the way.

Early on Junaid stood and traded but then kept on the outside switching stances to confuse ‘Lucky Boy’ Lee who was having none of it.

The 16-year-old’s poker face showed his focus on hurting the Lions boxer whenever he could.

However, his 15-year-old club-mate Payne just failed by two points when ending up on the wrong side of opponent Harroon Bains from Pleck.

Boxing at his best, the Latimer School student put together some accurate and controlled boxing and a showed much better variety of punches.

But Bains, who has had 20 contests more than Payne, showed his experience in the second.

The scoring seemed not to reward Payne with what he desevered as he opened up with range-finding lefts and combinations and in the last secured a standing eight-count after landing some heavy right hands.